Rain barrels: I took the do-it-yourself challenge

by Sandra Partridge, Ecology communications

 

Imagine putting rain to work for you.

Rain barrels capture rainwater for use on your yard and garden. They allow you to divert the water to the parts of the yard that need it most, instead of it just pouring out of your downspout.

Preparing now makes sense

While your garden doesn’t need rain now, it is a good time to prepare for the next growing season.

Getting set up now will come in handy later, especially if our state experiences another drought.  When the weather turns warm, using free rainwater can reduce your monthly household watering bills.

The challenge

You can find rain barrels for sale at garden supply centers, hardware stores and building supply chains, or you can order them online, although some stores only offer them in the spring and summer.

I read that even someone with limited skills and basic tools can build a rain barrel for about half of full retail price or less so I decided to try it.

To get started, I searched “building rain barrels” online and found a number of helpful, short how-to videos, instructions and material lists. For step-by-step directions, you’ll want to research out the plans that most appeal to you.

Designs differ, but most rain barrels have these features:

• A 55-gallon plastic drum that is either new or only contained food quality materials.
• A large hole in top for the water to flow into, covered by a screen to keep out leaves and other debris. 
• A faucet or ball valve toward the bottom, where you’ll attach the garden hose.
• To keep the barrel from getting too full, some have an overflow hole, high up on one side. You can run a hose from that too, to direct excess water away from the house.
• A stable, elevated base. This helps ensure that a full, heavy barrel won’t tip over.

Patience pays - literally

The total cost of the project will depend on what materials and tools you have on hand.

Finding a suitable drum this time of year took some time. After visiting several stores, I finally found one at a garden supply center for about $40. If I had more time, I would have kept looking for alternatives – maybe a restaurant or car wash that was going to take a suitable drum to recycling.

I also needed to buy some basic supplies and equipment:  two hole saws (that attach to your drill), a PVC adapter, a ball valve (or faucet), and some small fittings. I got those, and helpful advice, from my local hardware store.

My total investment was nearly $100.  But now that I’m set up – and if I can find a low-cost barrel to start with – I should be able to build a second one for far less. 

It wasn’t that hard

The steps are pretty basic. 

For the inflow, I cut a large hole in the top of the barrel. Then I set a PVC adapter into the opening, covered it with a piece of fine wire mesh, and secured it in place with a hose clamp.

For the faucet, I cut a small hole a few inches from the bottom. Then I added a fitting, inserted the ball valve and connected the hose.

Mine has a removable lid, to make it easier to clean. Because I don’t have a table saw, I used a reciprocating saw to cut the lid off the barrel. For safety, I braced the barrel against something solid so it wouldn’t turn as I made the cuts.

Mine had a small overflow hole fitted with an adapter and a small hose, to keep any excess water away from the house.

Was it worth it?

Yes, yes and yes. That evening, the sound of rain brought a smile to my face.  I checked on my rain barrel the next morning and was surprised to find it was already several inches full.  Pretty satisfying to see that it all worked as it was supposed to.  Since we’re entering the winter season, I’ll empty it and store it away for now.  But when spring comes, watering with rain water will be a real pleasure. 

Singing in the rain: parting the clouds in state water law

Photo of a rain collecting "guzzler"

By Kurt Unger, Department of Ecology, Water Resources Program

We’re singing in the rain in the Department of Ecology’s Water Resources Program, celebrating a new rainwater collection policy that says it’s OK to collect and store rainwater from your roof for use on your property.

To the delight of the green building community and many others in Washington state, we issued a new policy statement on October 12th clarifying that water right permits are not required for either the use of or the on-site storage of rainwater collected by a rooftop system or a guzzler. (Guzzlers are devices used to catch and store rainwater and dew to provide wildlife or livestock with drinking water.)

Under the department’s policy, the on-site storage and/or beneficial use of rooftop or guzzler collected rainwater is not subject to the permit process of RCW 90.03, Washington’s 1917 surface water code. But if and when the department determines that rooftop or guzzler rainwater harvesting systems are likely to negatively affect instream values or existing water rights, local restrictions may be set in place to govern future systems.

To qualify as rooftop collected rainwater, the roof collecting the rainwater must be part of a fixed structure above the ground with a primary purpose other than the collection of rainwater. Typical uses of rainwater include using it to flush toilets or for watering lawns and gardens.

Those not familiar with the issue may ask, “Why the heck was Ecology requiring water right permits for rooftop rainwater collection in the first place?”

Instead of deluging you with information, here’s an answer that will fit in a watering can:
Nearly all states west of the Mississippi River follow one form or another of what is commonly known as the Prior Appropriation Doctrine. The underlying tenant of this water law doctrine is first in time, first in right. That is, the first person to use a certain quantity of water for what’s called beneficial use (pretty much everything except wasteful use) has a senior water right. Of course, not all applications are approved by agencies like Ecology because water is a finite resource. Subsequent approved applications have what’s called a junior water right. When water supply is tight (during a drought, for example) or in basins where water is seemingly perennially tight (such as in the Yakima Basin in Washington), the most junior water right holders are told they must stop using water so that the more senior water right holders get their full allotment of water.

This priority-based system has caused some issues with rainwater collection in Washington and some western states, notably Colorado and Utah – two states that are actively attempting to regulate and enforce strict legal interpretations about the use of rooftop rainwater requiring a water right.

Previous interpretations of the broad language of Washington’s 1917 surface water code found that the use of undefined phrases describing water limited Ecology’s ability to determine what sort of uses are not subject to the water right permitting process. Our legislators took notice of the issue in 2002 and tried to fix it. Unfortunately, they were unable to agree on legislation that made common sense. To their credit, they kept trying every year thereafter, but the issue proved too challenging for a resolution.

As the years passed, the situation became more untenable. Rainwater harvesting projects were getting pushed into the backlog of water right applications (currently just under 7,000 and rising.) The result? Folks just kept collecting rainwater anyway and Ecology was losing credibility fast. Last year, Ecology undertook a renewed, detailed look at relevant water law and we found a way to bring clarity to rainwater collection and make it legal.

Hopefully, Washington’s practical policy will show other western states that are struggling with this issue that there is a rational path forward. As renowned water law professor David Getches notes in his book, Water Law in a Nutshell, “Obviously, not all water on earth is capable of management by governments.”